February 25, 2007

Chaska Man Found Frozen Dies

The http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1025046.html">Star Tribune reported that Sean Patrick Humphrey was found early Saturday partly frozen to the pavement on the side of a road in Chaska. Humphrey appeared to have fallen as he was walking and hit his head on a curb, he was spotted by a city snowplow driver along Geske Road at Millpond Court, according to Sgt. Mike Duzan. Humphrey died Sunday on his 19th birthday at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Police said that he had been on the street for hours with no coat, hat or gloves and by the time he was taken to a hospital his core body temperature was 77 degrees. Duzan said there are no indications of foul play.

According to the Pioneer Press, Humphrey's parents called the polise after a report of a missing man was aired on the 5 p.m. Saturday news. TV reports showed pictures of Humphrey's gold watch and a ring he was wearing that had "diamond-like stones," Duzan said. A snowplow driver found him about 4:45 a.m. Saturday.

Two Women Fall Off of Disneyland Tram

The Los Angeles Times reported that two women were injured after falling off a tram in a Disneyland parking lot on Friday. A spokeswoman for the Anaheim Fire Department said one woman was standing on a tram in the theme park's "Timon" parking lot when she tumbled off as it turned. Another woman tried to grab her but fell off also. The first woman suffered minor injuries to her head and feet and the second, more serious head wounds, Maria Sabol said. Officials said one was discharged. Disneyland Resort spokesman Bob Tucker said the tram was moving at a speed of 5 mph.

According to the United Press International the first woman was standing up and fell off the trolley when it turned a corner. The women were transported to the UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif., Disneyland Resort spokesman Bob Tucker said. Len Welsch, the agency's acting chief, said the accident does not fall within the state Department of Occupational Safety and Health's jurisdiction since trams are not considered amusement park rides.

Suicide Bomber in Baghdad Kills at least 40

According to the Los Angeles Times, at a crowded college campus Sunday in Baghdad, a suicide bomber set off a blast that killed at least 40 Iraqis. Most of the victims were female students who were waiting in line in the midday sun to enter classrooms for midterm exams. This was the second attack in recent weeks to target the mainly Shiite Mustansiriya University, and it follows the launch of the latest U.S.-Iraqi security plan. Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose followers virtually control the campus, denounced the plan as a failure and said Iraqi government troops and police should take charge of security and that U.S. troops should leave.

The Star Tribune reported that the school's main campus was hit by a string of bombings last month that killed 70 people. According to the Star Tribune, Muqtada al-Sadr said any crackdown that includes U.S. soldiers was doomed to failure.

Governors Issue Appeal for Children's Health Care

According to the Star Tribune, at the National Governors Association meeting on Saturday, 13 governors expressed alarm that they were going to run out of federal money for a progam that provides health insurance to children. The governors appealed to Congress and the Bush administration to take action. They also wrote a letter to the Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress. Consequences of not having the program include freezing enrollment, restricting eligibility, increasing premiums charged to low-income families or reducing benefits such as dental and vision care. One of the Republican governors that signed the letter was Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. The State Children's Health Insurance Program covers more than 6 million children in families that have too much income to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy private insurance.

According to the Associated Press, in the Pioneer Press, Georgia and New Jersey are two of the 14 states that are expected to run out of money for the progam. The governors want two things, an estimated $745 million to keep the program float through October and also changes to Presidet Bush's budget. More than a dozen states have expanded the SCHIP program to cover adults in those families. Among the 6 million people the program insures, now an estimated 639,000 are adults.

Nisswa Man Found Safe After a Weeklong Search

According to the Star Tribune, Ryan Hamre, 24, from Nisswa, was found on a Tomahawk Trail Friday. A week earlier, Hamre had gone for a walk and became lost, the dispatcher said. He had to build at least one fire to keep warm. Hamre, an associae editor fo an outdoors magazine in Brainerd, was checked over at an Ely hospital and was found to be fine.

According to the Pioneer Press, Hamre was found in a fish house in the Arrowhead of Northeastern Minnesota. Hamre's family reported him missing on Tuesday and authorities used a bloodhound to search for him, while his friends and family fanned out across the state. Posters with his photograph were circulated. The search ended at a cabin he was known to frequent in Lake County, his truck was also found to be in working condition. What he was doing there and why he did not tell his family is still unclear.

February 18, 2007

Teenager Kills 5 in a Utah Mall

According to the Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-ex-mall13feb14,1,7465675.story , 18-year-old Sulejmen Talovic shot and killed five people Monday night at a Salt Lake City shopping mall before being killed by an off-duty police officer. Police detective Robin Snyder said the deaths included two 28-year-old women, a 52-year-old man, a 24-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl and that four others were injured.

Bombs Explode in Thailand, Killing 3

The Associated Press reported in the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/722/story/1010152.html that at least 28 coordinated bombs exploded Sunday in Bangkok. The attacks were plagued by a Muslim insurgency, killing three people and wounding more than 50, the military said. The bombings targted the country's southernmost provinces and were set off in hotels, karaoke bars, power grids and commercial sites. Two public schools were also torched. The attacks occured while the country's Chinese community was celebrating the Lunar New Year.

Reuters http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP339156.htm reported that there were 23 bombs and that most went off around 7 p.m across the four southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and Songkhla, near the Malaysian border. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said the government wanted to hold talks with Muslim insurgents.

Dead Body Sat in Front of the TV for a Year

According to the Associated Press in the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1008988.html , in Hampton Bays, New York, the partially mummified body of Vincenzo Ricardo, 70, has been found in a chair in front of his television, which was still on. Ricardo apparently died of natural causes, said Dr. Stuart Dawson, Suffolk County's deputy chief medical examiner, over a year ago. Police were called to the house to investigate a report about burst water pipes. Morgue assistant, Jeff Bacchus said that the home's dry air had preserved his features and that he still had hair on his head. Neighbors said they had thought Ricardo was in a hospital or nursing home.

Farmington Man Shot 4 Times

The Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1007273.html reported that a 22-year-old Farmington man was shot four times in his home on Thursday and hospitalized in critical but stable condition. No arrests have been made and the victim's name is being withheld with concerns for his safety. The man was shot twice in his leg and twice in the chest and was found in his basement. The chief would not say whether or not the man knew who shot him.

Teenage Parents Lie about Baby's Injuries

The Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1008313.html reported that 15-month-old, Destiny Jackson's death was due to injuries her teenage parents lied about. Maeve Clifford, the 18-year-old mother, and Beauford Jackson, also 18, said Destiny had fractured her skull by falling off a bed. After a polygraph test Jackson's story changed. A medical examiner's staff concluded that Destiny bled to death after blows to her chest and abdomen lacerated her liver. In the wake of the baby's death, St. Paul police said investigators are taking a new look into the girl's skull fracture that she received two months earlier.

According to the Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/16719124.htm , after an application for a search warrant was filed in Ramsey County District Court, prosecutors charged Destiny's father with second-degree unintentional murder. An autopsy concluded that Destiny died of internal injuries after being struck in the torso.

February 11, 2007

Joe Mauer Signs with Twins for $33 Million

The Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/509/story/995546.html reported that the Twins signed catcher, Joe Mauer to a four-year, $33 million contract extension on Saturday to avoid arbitration. Last year Mauer became the first catcher to win an American League batting title, batting .347. This is the second biggest guaranteed contract in franchise history, Mauer also gets the chance to hit the free agent market at age 27 in 2010.

According to the Associated Press in the Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/baseball/16677073.htm, Mauer was the first pick in the 2001 amateur draft and was the first catcher to lead the majors in batting average and the first AL catcher to win the batting title. The Pioneer Press also reported that Mauer's rookie season in 2004 was cut short due to a knee injury which raised questions about whether or not his body could handle all the physical demands of his position.

February 10, 2007

Harvard Plans to Name First Female President

According to the Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-harvard10feb10,1,3580617.story?page=1&coll=la-headlines-nation Harvard University is planning to name Drew Gilpin Faust the first female president in its 371-year history. She would succeed Lawrene H. Summers, the former president who contributed to his own downfall by questioning the ability of women to excel in the the science and math departments. Faust is a Civil War historian and the dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. She is expected to be named as Harvard's 28th president on Sunday.

Putin Says U.S. Undermines Global Stability

Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin blamed the United States policy on Saturday for inciting other countries to seek nuclear weapons to defend themselves. According to the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/722/story/994232.html, Putin attacked President Bush's administration for stoking a new arms race by planning to deploy a missile defense system in eastern Europe and for backing a United Nations plan that would give virtual independence to Serbia's provinvce of Kosovo.

February 8, 2007

Two Men Charged in Cab Driver's Death

The Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/467/story/990067.html reported that Brandon D. Cox, 21, and Willen T. McIntyre, 19, used a stolen cell phone to call a Green and White taxi Sunday. The two men had the intention of robbing the driver, Jim Moody, but according to the suspects as Moody was giving them the money he grabbed for one of the guns. Cox fired his gun twice and McIntyre once, killing Moody. The two suspects each were charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder.

This Star Tribune article by Jim Adams was hard to follow. The structure and usuage of quotes made me read it more than once just to understand what had happened in the story.

The Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/breaking_news/16654285.htm did a very general report of this story. The only information it added on the event was that it took place February 4 and that the suspects were spending the night at Shemica Thomas' house, which is where they returned after the incident. The Pioneer Press did report all the necessary information though.

Flu Kills 2 More Minnesota Children

A week after a Ramsey County boy died of influenza, state health officials announced two more Minnesota children have died because of the same flu. The victims were an 8-year-old and a 17 month old, both from the Twin Cities area. There is no connection between the two. None of the children had been vaccinated for influenza, according to the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/462/story/989993.html. Nationwide, a total of 13 children have died of the flu this year.

The Star Tribune article was structured well. The lead included a very general account of the story, including the who, what, when and where. The 2nd graph was a lot more specific with the who and the where. Then the article used some quotes from health officials and medical experts. The article ended with information about where people could go to get vaccinated for the flu.

On Dec. 28, 2006 a claim was filed with the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, in which the Catsouras family requests $20 million for emotional distress and punitive damages. Currently, the CHP is working with the family to contact more than 800 websites posting the photographs, asking them to stop displaying the images.

According to the Orange County Register http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/homepage/article_1538883.php, a CHP official in Sacramento said the agency cannot discuss the claim filed by the Catsouras family and said the issue of the leaked images remains under investigation. The Register also reported that the Catsouras family has hired Reputation Defender to demand that Web site operators remove the offending pictures.

Indonesia Capital Flooded

Rivers burst their banks in Jakarta on Sunday after days of rain killing at least 20 people and forcing almost 340,000 people from their homes, according to the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/722/story/980653.html. Some places are 13 feet deep in water and Indonesia's meteorological agency is forecasting two more weeks of rain.

Both articules quoted in length. They used a lot of Florida residents' quotes, like: "It was scary, really scary," said Patrick Smith, 32, whose home suffered some damage. "I thought the house was going to fall apart."

Or one from the Los Angeles Times which said, "To me it sounded like a mountain coming down," said Denise Anderson, 52. These quotes help give a slight idea of what those people experienced Friday morning.

Girl Dies in Drunk Driving Accident

Logan H. McFarland, a 19-year-old Eagen resident was charged in Dakota County District Court with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and three counts of criminal vehicular operation after crashing his Ford truck into another car Sunday. McFarland struck Rebecca F. Yacob's camry. The 21-year-old from Apple Valley, died at the scene, according to the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/467/story/970627.html.

McFarland is being held in the Dakota County jail in lieu of $150,000 bail and was also charged Tuesday with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Father and Son Killed in Waseca Shooting

The Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/16618691.htm reported that Tracey Kruger, 41, and his son Alec, 13, were shot and killed in their Waseca farmhouse Saturday. Kruger's wife Hilary was also shot and put into critical condition. She was being treated at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.

The suspect is a Waseca County resident who was found at a residence 10 to 15 miles from the crime scene. Authorities are not saying if the shooter knew the family or if it was random.